FAQ

“Why does my dog lick his paws till they are sore and how can I stop him?”

Skin problems involving obsessive licking can be very frustrating to treat. In many cases such problems result from a disease but sometimes obsessive licking of a particular area is a response to pain. As skin disease does not normally cause lameness, it is possible that your dog’s problem relates to underlying pain; have you had this checked out? It might be worth considering an X-ray and possibly even ultrasound scanning. If the cause of the problem is a skin disease, it is important to rule out parasites or allergies which might require specific treatment. Otherwise licking can be prevented by bandaging, the use of a buster collar, or a chew deterrent spray (as long as the skin is not broken). I recommend you go back and discuss the matter further with your vet

“Why does my dog eat his own faeces?”

This condition, where your dog eats his own faeces is called Coprophagia. Although frequently encountered and disgusting to the owner, coprophagia is not harmful unless parasites are transmitted. It is quite natural for a nursing bitch to do this with her pups, and wild carnivores are known to eat the droppings of their herbivore prey to obtain nutrients therein. The main causes of coprophagia are:

Behavioural problems- it can develop as a vice or habit due to boredom and is a manifestation of stereo-typical behaviour or anxiety. It may be aggravated due to confinement or lack of attention.
Parasitic infestation- dogs with a high internal parasitic load commonly eat their faeces, and will have a ravenous appetite but will still lose weight.

Mal-digestion and Mal-assimilation Syndromes-due to exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, colitis, lymphangiectasia, intestinal bacterial overgrowth, - here the dog may eat their faeces due to the high fat content (steattorrhea) contained in it due to maldigestion of fat in the gut. These conditions lead to an energy deficit because nutrients are not broken down properly in the digestive system and thus the dog will eat its faeces. In these conditions the dog will lose weight in spite of a healthy appetite.

The general treatment involves:

Remove the faeces from the environment
Provide more activity for the dog to reduce boredom, reduce the dog’s confinement and spend more time with him. If the problem began recently then it would be important to remember if you changed anything in his environment that may have created or intensified some anxiety that he may have being feeling which could be anything from a change of diet or bedding to new surroundings or people
Rule out parasitic disease due to toxocara canis or D caninum by regular worming, normally every 2-3 months or more often if required. It is also important to regularly treat him for ectoparasitic problems like fleas as these carry the intermediate stages of the tapeworm life cycle
Dietary management- a highly digestible diet balanced for your pets particular stage of life.

Mark & Chappell's Stool Repel-UM is an effective solution to this condition. This product has been specially formulated to deter such behaviour through a combination of active ingredients which, when ingested by the animal, help to produce a stool which is unpalatable to the animal.

“Why does my dog eat grass?”

Eating grass seems to be a normal behaviour in some dogs even though we tend to think that their diet should consist of other things. Grass is pretty indigestible to cats or dogs as they do not have the enzymes to break it down. Apart from the fibre source that grass contains it also contains some minerals and vitamin A and D. The reason why a dog might eat grass are:

Habit- they just like it and develop a taste for it
Dogs in their wild form often eat herbivores that digest plant material so that it is normal for them to eat grass sometimes
Grass makes dogs vomit sometimes so it may be a sign of a digestive problem such as nausea or gastritis. The digestive problems may include ulcers, inflammatory bowel disorders, blockages or insufficient digestive enzymes. There are no known vitamins or mineral deficiencies that consistently lead to grass eating. Some people indicate that it may relate to a deficiency of roughage in their diet. Grass eating in general is a non-specific sign. It may be advisable to have a general health check to rule out dietary or nutritional imbalances or other intestinal problems. It may also help to give your dog a worm dose in case he has a parasitic burden. Apart from problems such as unwanted gas production or vomiting that grass produces it is not a significant problem in its own right.

Mark & Chappell sell a suitable mineral/vitamin product called Megavit-UM Plus that may be of some benefit if a mineral/vitamin problem were suspected. It contains the essential minerals and vitamins that supports optimal health and is balanced for any particular stage of life.

“Do Cats & Dogs Get Sunburn?”

Summer is a time for both you and your pet to enjoy the sunshine and outdoors, but along with the fun, the season offers up situations that can endanger your pet. Cats and dogs can get sunburn. Cats with white ears are especially prone to develop sunburn on the tips and edges of the ears. Collies and other dog breeds such as Shetland Sheepdogs, who have no pigment on their nose can develop a condition called “Collie Nose” or “Nasal solar dermatitis”. This is actually caused by a hypersensitivity to the sun. Some pets, whose hair is clipped over their bodies or for some reason have sparse hair, can also develop sunburn where their skin is exposed. Pets susceptible to sunburn should be kept out of direct summer sun, especially in the middle of the day when the sun is particularly strong. Sunscreens (SPF should be 15 or greater) including those developed specifically for pets should be used to prevent sunburn. For pets with skin exposed on their bodies, a t-shirt (children’s or adult) can be fitted over the body. As with humans, animals with skin that has sunburned are more likely to develop skin cancer, so protection from sunburn is extremely important.

The following precautions will help keep your pet sunburn-free this summer:

Keep your pet out of the sun as much as possible between 10am and 4pm
Apply waterproof sunscreen on unprotected areas
If your pet must be outdoors during this time, provide plenty of shade
Avoid walking or running your pet on hot pavements or blacktop surfaces.